Hezbollah Retains Most Of Its Missiles, Says Group Leader
Ryan R. Jones - All Headline News Middle East Correspondent Jerusalem, Israel (AHN) - Hezbollah's second-in-command says the group used up or lost only about 10 percent of its missile arsenal in the recent war with Israel. In an interview with the London-based Arabic daily al-Sharq al-Awsat published Sunday, Naim Qassam said, "We had the option to confront Israel for many months. The missiles that we fired at Israel could be a quarter or even just 10 percent of the rockets we have." During the war, Israeli officials claimed their forces had destroyed as much as 70 percent of Hezbollah's arsenal. With so many weapons left, Qassam said Hezbollah's primary focus at this point is not rearming, which international troops and naval forces are trying desperately to prevent along Lebanon's borders and in its various points of entry. But Qassam did say the group is in evaluation mode, trying to learn the lessons of the recent conflict and formulate its position towards Israel in light of the new realities. "This is a stage which entails studying the method which the resistance will operate in," he said. "Therefore, it is still unclear what our stance will be if Israel fails to withdraw from the [disputed] Shebaa Farms." Whatever decisions come out of that decision process, one thing is certain, said Qassam: Hezbollah will not disarm. Hezbollah has a "right to resistance," he insisted, and is Lebanon's only t |
